Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team (6-4, 1-0 SSC) earned its first home win of the season Friday night against the Rollins Tars (6-4, 0-2 SSC), 3-1 (25-16, 25-20, 16-25, 25-18), in the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center.
Sydney Cook (Jr., Miami, Fla.) held the team high with 12 kills, followed by
Natalie Melcher (Fr., Rishon Letzion, Israel) and
Dana Holger (Jr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) who each posted ten. Melcher's kills total marks a season high since coming to NSU.
Caitlin Donahue (Jr., Miami, Fla.) had a .545 attack percentage, with six kills on 11 attacks.
Katie Pyles (So., Denver Colo.) led the team with 30 assists while
Candice Johnson (Sr., Chuluota, Fla.) tallied a team high 14 digs. Pyles also logged seven kills and seven digs apiece.
In the opening set, Rollins scored the first points before Melcher and Cook hit back-to-back kills to tie the set at four. After two Tars errors gave the Sharks the lead, NSU remainted in control for the rest of the set. NSU's biggest swing of the night came in three consecutive assisted blocks by Donahue, Melcher and Cook, which pushed the Sharks to a 19-11 lead.After trading the next 10 points, a kill by Holger closed the match for the Sharks at 25-16.
The Sharks carried their energy from the end of the first set into the second, keeping the lead throughout after the score was tied at 2. Later with a five-point deficit, Rollins threatened the Sharks on three consecutive hits that put them within two at 17-15. The Sharks responded on back-to-back kills by Pyles. A Tars error put the Sharks back ahead by five at 20-15. NSU maintained the cushion for the rest of the set before Cook closed it, 25-20, on a kill to the right.
The Tars controlled the third set from the opening serve on, jumping out to a 10-5 lead and keeping a five-point margin until the end. The Sharks came their closest off a kill by Cook that would put them within four, but Rollins stayed atop to close the match, 25-16.
Posting a match high 66% hitting percentage, the Sharks rebounded in a big way to win the fourth set and notch their first home win of the season. After grabbing an early 9-4 lead, NSU earned their biggest lead of the night off a six-point run to push them up by 11, 15-4. A service ace by
Kaelyn Brock (La Quinta, Calif.) and a kill by Holger contributed to the six-point run, with the other four points coming off Rollins errors. The Sharks closed strong before a final Tars error ended the set at 25-18.
The night marked head coach Jennifer King's first win at home with NSU. The Sharks will return Saturday to host the Eckerd Tritons at 4 p.m. in the Shark Tank.
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